Ecology - Ecosystems Questions and Answers
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsAs body size increases in animals,
there is a decrease in the surface-to-volume ratio.
migration to tropical areas becomes necessary for thermoregulation.
it becomes more difficult to conserve body warmth in cold environments.
reproduction becomes limited to terrestrial environments.
there is greater variability in metabolic rate.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsThe federal government is considering providing a per-student subsidy to private schools in the country. What is
the anticipated effect of the subsidy on the supply of private education? (1 point)
O At any given price, the quantity supplied of private education will decrease.
O The supply of private education will decrease.
O The demand for private education will increase.
O At any given price, the quantity supplied of private education will increase.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich of these would be an example of allopatric speciation?
A species diverges into two different species due to adaptation to local environments.
A handful of fish swim across a temporary stream connecting two lakes and after many generations a new fish species is formed.
the formation of different species in populations that are not geographically isolated from one another.
A diploid species becomes a new tetraploid species due to nondisjunction.
several different species of trees evolve in a connected, single forest
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsSuppose that a city government decides to develop a public park. In the circular flow diagram with government, which of the following is a way that the government might engage directly with firms?
The government might tax firms to fund the development of the park.
The government might provide expenditures to firms in exchange for their work on the park.
The government might provide firms with the tools and equipment needed to develop the park.
The government might provide revenue from the park to firms.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsComplete the sentence using one of the following words:
species, population, or community.
A(n) is a group of all of the populations that live in the same area.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsDirections: Label the following descriptions as Consumer, Producer, Carnivore, detritivore, decomposer, herbivore, omnivore, or photosynthesis (Words only used once).
1. I am a consumer that only eats meat
2. I need carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce glucose and oxygen
3.I am a consumer that eats dead consumers and producers
4.I am a consumer that will eat meat and plants
5.I am an organism that can create my own food
6.I am an organism that needs to eat other organisms to get energy
7.I am a consumer that BREAKS DOWN organic material
8. I am a consumer that only eats plants
Directions: Answer the question in complete sentences
1. What would happen if a giant dust cloud blocked the sun on Earth? Explain your answer.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsDenver, Colorado, is at a higher altitude than Los Angeles, California. Which of these statements is correct?
Water boils at a lower temperature in Denver than Los Angeles.
Water boils at a higher temperature in Denver than Los Angeles.
Water boils at the same temperature in both Denver and Los Angeles.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsA contracting firm laid down a good soil base for a lawn but the owner has never sprayed the lawn with herbicides to destroy the dandelions (unlike all of his neighbours). The lawn is fully exposed to all the environmental elements and is now seriously populated with dandelions. The dispersion pattern of these dandelions could best be described as being
clumped.
uniform.
random.
None of the above are correct.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsHuman intervention has caused a decrease in many populations. What can this change lead to over time?
A background extinction
B. increased biodiversity
C. mass extinction
D. increased genetic diversity
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsA species was added to a particular ecosystem to control the population of a prey species. The method of introducing a predator to control the population of an unwanted species is called leading to a decrease in several populations of other species in the ecosystem. This decrease happened The population of the added species increased, because
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsIf the total amount of energy in the producer level of an ecosystem is 40,000 kilocalories, approximately how much energy is available for the primary consumers?
4,000 kilocalories
400 kilocalories
40 kilocalories
4 kilocalories
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich statement about biomes is true?
A. Different biomes share similar plants and wildlife.
B.Each biome has only one ecosystem.
C.There are only three biomes on the Earth.
D. Biomes are determined by climate zones.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich statement about biomes is true?
Different biomes share similar plants and wildlife.
Each biome has only one ecosystem.
There are only three biomes on the Earth.
Biomes are determined by climate zones.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsSelect the correct answer from each drop-down menu.
Temperate grasslands and few has are two biomes that are dominated by grass species, share similar wildlife, and have . However, while temperate grasslands have the other grassland biome
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich of the following best explains the process of biomagnification?
A.) Increase in the concentration of a toxic substance with each successive link in the food chain or in each advancing trophic level.
B.) Decrease in the concentration of a toxic substance with each successive link in the food chain or in each advancing trophic level.
C.) Balance in the concentration of a toxic substance with each successive link in the food chain or in each advancing trophic level.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich of the following statements best explains the relationship between ecosystem complexity and resilience?
Resilience is not affected by changes to ecosystem complexity.
Resilience decreases as complexity increases.
Resilience increases as complexity increases.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsHow would the presence of a dead conspecific, like a dove wing, effect giving-up densities?
A. Giving-up densities increase
B. Giving-up densities decrease
C. Giving-up densities are unchanged
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsA chipmunk consumes 1000 J of energy from food, excretes 177 J as waste, and
converts 784 J to heat via metabolism.
Use the information above to complete the problems.
1. How many joules of energy are available to convert into new biomass?
2. What percentage of the total energy was available to become new growth?
3. What percentage of the total energy consumed was converted to forms that were
unusable to the chipmunk?
4. Write an equation that supports the idea that energy is conserved in this example.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsAbout how much energy is transferred from a primary consumer to a secondary consumer?
90% of the original energy from the Sun
10% of the original energy from the Sun
10% of the primary consumer's energy
1% of the primary consumer's energy
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsYou have an ecosystem with the following organisms: birds, fruit trees, tigers, and monkeys. Which list would best describe the food chain?
tigers, monkeys, birds, fruit trees
birds, fruit trees, monkeys, tigers
fruit trees, birds, tigers, monkeys
fruit trees, birds/monkeys, tigers
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsGrasses ⇒ mice ⇒ cat ⇒ coyote
A natural disaster of a fire has occurred what could happen to this food chain?
The grasses will be gone and all of the consumers will be able to leave.
The grasses will be gone and some of the mice will die but the number of cats and coyotes will remain the same.
The grasses will be gone but the number of consumers will all stay the same.
The grasses will be gone and any surviving consumers will have to look for new resources in that environment.
Nothing will happen to this food chain.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich statement best describes energy of an ecosystem?
The amount of energy entering an ecosystem from the Sun is equal to the amount lost as heat.
The amount of energy entering an ecosystem from the Sun is equal to the amount used by organisms.
The amount of energy entering an ecosystem from the Sun is equal to the amount used by organisms plus the amount lost as heat.
The amount of energy entering an ecosystem from the sun does not transfer from organism to organism.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsLife cycles recycle matter and help to create balance on Earth because
living organisms are dependent on other living organisms to survive
producers make their own food, consumers gain energy from producers, and decomposers break down dead matter into essential nutrients that are then reused by producers
producers gain energy from the Sun, consumers gain energy from producers, and decomposers gain energy from dead consumers and recycle it back to producers
all of the above
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsRoger is studying how energy from the Sun changes to chemical energy in plants and to mechanical energy in animals.
He is studying
quantum physics
chemistry
blology
thermodynamics
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsSome corals in the warm pools off Ofu Island can withstand temperatures of 32° to 34 °C without bleaching. So, the researchers set up a controlled laboratory experiment to try to determine why these corals survive in such excessive heat. With regard to the experimental design, what is Dr. Palumbi's control group?
O Healthy corals from the warm pools
O Dying corals from the cooler water
O Dying corals from the warm waters
O Corals from large reefs around the world
Biology
Ecology - Ecosystems3. What is the immediate cause of the decline in the sea otter population?
A. The feeding habits of the orca
B. The feeding habits of the sea urchins
C. The feeding habits of the other organisms within the kelp forest
D. The feeding habits of harbor seals and sea lions
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsTechnology has changed the way scientists conduct their research. Select the ways the film supported this claim: "Technology is crucial for lion research in Gorongosa National Park;" Select all that may apply.
Lions are social, so a collared lion will lead to a larger group
GPS satellite collars are used to identify the location of a specific lion
Using laptops makes data analysis easier.
Trap cameras allow researchers to identify new areas in which lions may live
Researchers can stay in hotels instead of out in the field.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsThe loss of energy from one level of the tropic hierarchy to the next is best explained by which of the following processes:
the first law of thermodynamics
fierce competition among predators for scarce resources
respiration, heat loss, and production of biomass
predators generally do not consume all the biomass of their prey
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsTypically, only about _____ of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem.
30%
40%
20%
50%
10%
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsThink of someone you know who is a model environmental citizen. How do they demonstrate the three attributes described by Dobson and Bell? Do they consider themselves an integral part of the environment? How do they care for the environment? How would you describe their sense of responsibility towards the environment? Note: you are encouraged to ask them these questions directly and share their responses. Note: please respect their privacy if they wish to remain anonymous.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsIn an area of forest growth, there fire. The vegetation is destroyed and the fire leaves behind living soil. Soon, grass starts to grow in the soil.
This is an example of _____ succession.
secondary
primary
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsRed pandas have many beneficial adaptations such as their color and a bushy tail. How did these adaptations come to be?
Over evolutionary time, pandas with the best adaptations were more likely to survive and produce offspring.
Pandas developed these adaptations because they needed them to survive.
Pandas learned that they needed certain adaptations so they developed them.
Individual pandas became more and more adapted during their lifetime.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsSelect the correct answer.
Jupiter has an average distance from the Sun of 7.98 x 108 kilometers. Use the conversion factor 1 AU = 1.5 x 108 km to convert this distance from kilometers to astronomical units.
O 10 AU
O 5.32 AU
O 7.13 AU
O 11.89 AU
21.28 AU
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsA worm is decomposing plant matter and putting it into the soil. What type of nutrient consumption does that worm exhibit?
A) Detritivore
B) Decomposer
C) Herbivore
OD) Omnivore
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsCommunities that are biologically diverse are to contain species that are resilient to ecosystem pressures.
O less likely
O more likely
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich describes the desert biome?
A. driest of all biomes, very little water, cacti, plants have wax coating, nocturnal animals
B. permafrost of soil, cold temperatures and high winds, mosses and lichens can grow
C. dense spiny shrubs, hot and dry, also called shrubland or chapparal
D. little rain and warm year round, covered with grasses and few trees and watering holes
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsIndividuals within a community may compete to obtain resources, though the resources are often limited.
True
False
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich of the following describes wetlands?
A. separated into photic and aphotic zones of still water with large amount of vegetation and fish
B. located between aquatic and terrestrial environments and reduces flooding and filters water
C. filled with running water and don't allow the collection of algae, and are home to small crustaceans
D. collected salt water that is located by the coast and filled with calcified remains of cnidarians
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsSuppose that one of the four species above occupied 80% of the habitat and the other three equally shared the remainder. Now is the effective number of species would be approximately
a. 8.
b. 4.
c. 2.
d. 1.
e. 0.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsThis type of natural selection shifts the phenotype towards the intermediate and disfavors both extremes
Disruptive selection
Intrasexual selection
Stabilizing selection
Intersexual selection
Directional selection
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhat is a major difference between the phosphorus cycle and the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles?
The phosphorous cycle is much faster than the others.
The phosphorous cycle does not include the atmosphere but the others do.
The phosphorous cycle makes use of living organisms but the others do not.
The phosphorous cycle has not been impacted by human activity.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsIdentify the following scenario as primary or secondary succession:
A raging forest fire sweeps through a local valley in California and is controlled and later snuffed out by firefighters. Small sprouts begin to appear the following spring.
secondary succession
primary succession
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsAn ecosystem is
a. all the organisms in a community and the abiotic environment in which they interact.
b. all the organisms in a community.
c. some of the organisms in a community and some of the abiotic conditioned in which they interact.
d. the abiotic environment in a community.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsOn your own, draw the food web again, but this time include these two invasive species. Show the effect these invasive species would have on other organisms in the habitat. Your food web might not look exactly the same as your classmates'.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsA team of ecologists observed feeding patterns of several populations in the desert. The energy pyramid shown below depicts the feeding patterns the ecologists observed. Explain the difference in the amount of available energy in the trophic levels of the desert
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsMany birds live in mountainous temperate forest ecosystems. Above the tree line on mountains, however, the ecosystems change. Few birds are found there. Many factors contribute to the lower number of birds seen above a mountain's tree line. Which of these factors is abiotic?
A. frequent high winds
B. high-flying predators
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsIn the space below please describe what keystone species is and explain why they are essential for maintaining the health of an ecosystem.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsDescribe the global North and global South. Which continents does each encompass? What
level of development and wealth?
Global North:
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsIdentify a food (look up the definition of food) that humans eat that cannot be traced back in any way to an organism that performs photosynthesis. You are allowed only one submission. You cannot ask me if your idea is potentially correct. That question will count as your answer, so be certain before you tell me.
Biology
Ecology - EcosystemsWhich of the following animal populations in Rhode Island waters likely exhibit(s) a Type III survivorship curve?
lobsters
surf clams
oysters
All of the above
None of the above